Regardless of the many accolades, the 28–year-old realizes he can learn from the down moments of a storybook campaign.

And yes, the valleys did exist.

“Specifically, I would like to work on my pass routes and getting open in coverage and helping run my pass routes correctly,” Cornish said Thursday in a teleconference with reporters across the country. “And perhaps controlling my emotions a little bit better.”

Ah yes, the volatile emotions of Jon Cornish.

Saskatchewan fans will likely never let Cornish forget the mooning incident when he dropped his pants at Mosaic Stadium last September in full view of the Rider faithful (and subsequently received a fine from commissioner Mark Cohon for his efforts.)

And there was the flag for head-butting defender Marcus Ball that helped push the Stamps out of field goal range at home against the Toronto Argonauts.

“I had a penalty that possibly cost us a touchdown,” Cornish said. “That kind of emotional outburst is something that I want to have restrained. I play with a lot of energy, and sometimes that energy gets misplaced.

“So I want to have it focused purely on football.”

Deeply introspective, Cornish believes he has reached a time in his career — and his life — where he can tame such outbursts.

“Last year, I got to play in a lot of high-pressure situations and a lot of situations where the other team was trying to get into my head,” Cornish said. “And I essentially built up resistance to those effects.

“I feel like I’m a more mature player at this point, and I can better deal with any negatives that happen in the course of a game.”

Cornish looked ready to positively erupt in Week 5 last season after carrying the ball six times for minus-1 yards against the B.C. Lions.

No, that’s not a misprint.

Six carries for minus-1 yards.

“I’m not worried about it,” Cornish said at the time. “It’s particularly annoying from the running back position when you get the ball and get smacked in the face as soon as you get the ball.”

The incident could have proved a powder-keg for the Stampeders with the star running back publicly questioning the blocking of the big boys up front.

But quite the opposite transpired.

“What I really appreciated and respected with Jon last year was after he did have the negative yardage game against B.C., he took the time off,” head coach/general manager John Hufnagel said Thursday. “If you asked Jon, he would use the word meditate, but he came back and said, ‘hey, that stuff is behind. I’m looking forward, and I’m just going to try my best and do my best and see where we go with this.’

“He just had a tremendous year, and I just expect him to come out and get himself ready to play each and every game and play to the best of his abilities each and every game. That’s all I can ask of Jon or any other player that wears the red and white.”

In pursuit of consistency this coming season, Cornish has adopted a training regiment hat infiltrates every area of his life — even those so-called down moments when he’s waiting to buy a sandwich at the neighbourhood coffee shop.

“I’ve tried to be a running back 24-seven,” he said. “Ordering lunch, I’ll be standing on one foot the entire time that I’m in line. It’s really simple things like that. It’s trying to get your body thinking about doing football related things.”

So if you spot a man matching Cornish’s description doing bizarre things in the community, hold off on calling the police.

“Yeah, if I do a spin move on the door, that would be another example,” he said. “You just live like that and it becomes your norm.

“And then I guess if people think it’s weird, then whatever.”

Weird or not, Cornish is already in the conversation as one of the early favourites to win the CFL’s most outstanding player award for 2013.

But the man himself is solely focused on the trophy to be handed out Nov. 24 in Regina.

“I’m thinking about how I can contribute to our team’s effort,” he said. “Any personal accolades for me would take second place to getting this team to the Grey Cup once again

“I don’t have any goals other than getting to the Grey Cup . . . and winning it.”

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Hall: Cornish enters new season committed to repeating star play while eliminating emotional outbursts